Hi, and welcome to my corner of the woods! I'm Lauren, a '27 from Munger, Michigan. My favorite places on campus include Sanborn (for writing), the river (for paddling), and the Green (for everything else). I'm excited to share a bit about my favorite place with all of you!
I took this class as part of Dartmouth's first year writing requirement. We read a pro cyclist's life narrative, discussed research papers on controversial topics in sports, and wrote our own papers on a contentious sports technology of our choice. I really enjoyed this course's emphasis on discussion, and the small class size!
This was my first class in the classics department, which was super exciting as a classical studies major! We learned about the ancient Olympics and the connections between athletics and other aspects of ancient Greek society. I loved the final project in this class, which involved creating an argument about how the ancient pentathlon was scored!
To conclude my language requirement, I took Latin 3! This class was super exciting because we began to read ancient texts and poetry. We also took a class trip to the Rauner Special Collections library so we could physically handle and read some manuscripts. And as an added bonus, Latin counts as a prerequisite for my classical studies major!
As a part of my language study abroad in Italy, I also took a class on Italian history and culture! We went on field trips to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, participated in walking tours of Rome, and watched a lot of great cinema in this class! I loved it so much that I decided to minor in Italian.
This class, in addition to being a pre-requisite for my major, was super interesting! I loved learning about archaeology through hands-on projects and lectures that felt like TED Talks.
My favorite course on my Italian LSA+ in Rome is focused on Italian literature, which we are studying in a reverse-chronological order! It has been incredibly fun to see different topics and styles evolve over time and to learn from the works of the best writers.
I’m absolutely loving this hands-on introduction to paleography, and the fact that my class meets at Rauner every day! I can’t wait to hear from our guest lecturers, too, and I’ll be sure to share those experiences on the blog. All in all, Latin 10 was a great way to get back into the language after a term away in Rome.
I signed up for this Latin class after the FDOC (first day of class), and I'm so glad I added it to my sophomore summer schedule! Our class is combined with GRK 30.08 History and Structure of the Greek Language, and it has been incredibly interesting to compare the ancient languages and learn a bit of Greek.
FallIvrea, Italy
This term, I'm interning with the Olivetti Leadership Institute in Ivrea, a small town in northern Italy.
I've written a lot on my blog about my terms spent abroad in Italy, and for good reason: the FIRE program and LSA+ changed the way I think about school, culture, and even myself. Both programs taught me things that go way beyond the classroom, and those lessons have followed me into my current internship, funded by the Dickey Center's "Build Your Own" International Internship Program.
My other major, Classical Studies, has ended up being surprisingly relevant too. Back on campus, I spent hours in Reed Hall translating from Latin to English, and last spring in Rauner Special Collections LibraryI took LAT 10: Paleography—squinting at manuscripts and debating with classmates over half-legible letters. Those experiences sharpened my attention to detail and forced me to think deeply about tone and word choice.
An example of the handwriting and abbreviations we had to try to decode!
Now, my internship involves translating Italian into English for a guidebook on Ivrea's UNESCO-recognized Olivetti architecture. The skills feel almost one-to-one. Accuracy and flow both matter, so I'm constantly making judgement calls—much like I did with those Latin texts.
On a more practical level, having already lived in Italy makes everyday tasks here so much easier. I knew how to set up an eSIM, which pair of my jeans takes two days to dry on a rack, which grocery store brands are my favorite. That's all small stuff, but it means that I can spend my energy adjusting to a new workplace and exploring a new city instead of figuring out how to exist here.
The setting is also different in a way that I think is helping me grow. Rome was full of motion, but Ivrea is steadier. It's given me the opportunity to slow down and focus on one big project. I've learned how to match my routines to the pace of a place: embracing Rome's energy when I was studying there, and leaning into Ivrea's calm now that I'm in a professional role.
The beautiful view from the pedestrian bridge along my commute!
If studying abroad taught me how to interpret culture, working abroad is teaching me how to engage with it directly. It feels like a natural next step, and I'm curious to see where it leads.
If you've ever thought about working abroad—even just as a "what if"—Dartmouth's study abroad programs are a great place to start. They gave me the skills and confidence I rely on now, and they might just do the same for you
Instead of spending sophomore summer on campus, I pursued an internship in Hong Kong, where Dartmouth's alumni network and fellow students helped me to I find community, friendship, and adventure that made my summer just as memorable.
Summers between terms look different for every Dartmouth student! Opportunities are abundant and it's all what you make it out to be. This summer I interned on the Clean Energy Team at Wood PLC and traveled home to see my sister get married!
As an intern at one of Brazil's leading financial services firms, I spent my days working on strategy, design, and employee experience. But beyond spreadsheets and slides, I found purpose in my routine. Here's a peek into one of those days!
